During the ‘soilweek’, soil was widely visible in social media and in newspaper columns. Thank you everyone who participated in the positive and inspiring #SoilSelfie campaign! Together we were able to raise the importance of soils.
World Soil Day was celebrated on December 5, 2020. This year’s theme was biodiversity – with the words “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity”. To celebrate the soil, we launched a #SoilSelfie -campaign for the ‘soilweek’ (November 30–December 6). We challenged everybody to tell about their own relationship with soil by posting a #SoilSelfie and to share a message about our vital soils.
The #SoilSelfie campaign was designed by the Baltic Sea Action Group, Helsinki Design Museum, Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation and Forum for Environmental Information. The campaign was linked to the exhibition Soil Matters, which explores the materiality of the earth and its intertwining with human activity and to the international Soil at Risk -Symposium that will, in June 2021, bring together researchers, farmers, industry and policy makers.
The week began with a virtual press conference streamed from the Design Museum’s premises. Soil science and art were available. The participants were also able to explore the Soil Matters exhibition virtually. Delightfully on December 5, i.e. on the soil day, YLE news and HBL published stories about the soil. The spotlight was on the soil biodiversity and small soil organisms and their importance for all life.
The soil featured strongly on social media throughout the week. In the middle of darkness and covid limitations, the positive soil posts and the discussion surrounding them were really uplifting, many felt that they were getting energy and joy from the pics and stories shared.
We found in total about 150 #SoilSelfie posts on Twitter, about 100 on Instagram, about 30 on Facebook and about 10 posts on Linkedin, both national and international. The campaign attracted a wide range of actors, including farmers, researchers, artists, gardeners, interest organisations, decision-makers, media representatives, chefs and otherwise people who value good food. We also got key international actors involved such as EU Horizon ‘Mission soil health and food’, the 4/1000 initiative and the FAO Global Soil Partnership.
In addition to the #SoilSelfie campaign, the week was also full of other great soil news and webinars. There were new commitments from companies (e.g. Nestle‘s efforts to promote regenerative agriculture), the launch of the Field Observatory and the EU Soil Observatory, and the social media was full of great videos and other material – such as this video published on the BBC.
